Retail to the Rescue

31Aug09

Buongiorno, beautiful people! I hope everyone had a splendid weekend. Mine was, well, different. I can tell it’s time for me to be with my family. Sunday was spent doing things that remind me of home, which I’ll get to in a bit.

First up, the rest of Saturday was a delight. I came home after getting produce, blogged and then ate a quick snack:

Fuji slices with mozzarella.

Drawing inspiration from the hummus queen and a favorite blogger of mine, I’ve been dying to try VeganRella with apple slices ever since she first pictured it. My first experience with the cheese wasn’t very good. It hadn’t had time to get firm in the fridge after being in the heat for the hour or so I was shopping. This left it crumbly and unlike any mozz I’d had before. Still, I felt it had potential.

After eating, I changed into my bikini and trotted to the beach. It was gorgeous! Unfortunately, I’m really bad at laying out. I get antsy, plus I knew I needed to pack, plus it was starting to get cold. I lasted 40 minutes.

I mosied home and got straight to packing. With tunes bumpin’, I managed to finish this in maybe 90 minutes. Not bad at all! When I was finished, I received a call from my Ohio roomie and we caught up. It felt so good to hear her voice again! We can go for months without talking, but the moment we see each other or chat again, it feels as though no time has passed. That’s how it tends to be with all solid relationships, I think.

Dinner was in order as soon as we got off the phone. A fresh supply of kale left me with no other choice:

Kale and chia Hugh Jass.

In the mix: kale, cucumber, tomatoes, balls, chia seeds, pepper and a drizzle of spicy peanut vinaigrette. Parma was added after the shoot, and re-applied with each layer of untouched kale. I followed my salad with a bag of Salt + Pepper PopChips that my sister, K, graciously sent to me. Thanks, boo!

Later that night, I went to go shower and get ready to meet up with Abby and her roomie Mark. I started to undress and I noticed something:

What I learned yesterday: California sun and Ohio sun are not the same thing. I was ridiculous and forgot to put on sunscreen before heading to breakfast. Mistake. Pay attention to the right shoulder (well, your right, my left):

The "What Did I Do to Myself" face.

There are lines from my halter-topped dress and then there is a thick line where my purse was. WEAR SUNSCREEN!!! Just a PSA. (My face was saved because my moisturizer has SPF, thank goodness.)

Once I finally showered and got dressed, I headed over to Abby’s. Her apartment is incredible! It’s huge and they have more rooms than they know what to do with. I had a blast with them, and due to unfortunate circumstances (cough, someone forgot his or her I.D., cough), Abby walked me home at 1am.

Staying up till 2am snacking on Wasa crackers and peanut butter wouldn’t have been a problem had I not needed to get up at 7am today. I don’t think I clarified this earlier, but a cleaning crew was coming into the apartment today (the apartment is supplied by VegNews and they’re prepping it for the new interns). I had to be out by 9am until who knows when.

The uncomfortable part of this week is going to be that I’ll be the creepy ex-intern living on the couch when the new interns move in Monday afternoon. My flight isn’t until Wednesday. That was a huge brain fart on my part with the flight planning.

Anyway, I kicked off the morning with a green thang:

Green and some sandals.

In the smoothie: spinach, banana, pumpkin pie spice, chia seeds, almond milk and water. It was meh, but I didn’t really mind.

The weather today was awful! Cold, windy and fallish. For some reason, I think this is what made me really miss home today. I grabbed the L to downtown and the first thing I did once there was hit up Starbucks. Because that is something MamaJ and I would to together.

With a medium coffee with an inch of steamed soymilk and a dash of cinnamon, I meandered to Borders. I went straight to the magazines, collected a pile and completely escaped into the world I love:

Mmmm magazine high.

I was pleasantly surprised by Shape’s vegetarian coverage. I was puzzled, though, as to why they chose Lauren Conrad as the September cover. Not that I didn’t watch The Hills regularly or anything…

The magazine and coffee routine is something I’d do at home, so it helped me feel a bit better. I looked at all but the In Style because I had to pee so badly.

Finally, retail had opened by the time I left Borders. Shopping and trying clothes on and imagining the banging wardrobe I could have offers a complete distraction from any ick feeling. Retail certainly came to my rescue today. Shopping was my cardio and coffee was my Powerade. Or, coconut water or Clif Shock Bloks or what have you.

Gap had the perfect pair of jeans that I plan on buying when I return to Cinci. MamaJ noted when she was here that the Gap clothing was a bit pricier here. I believe her. I could also believe that she’s slightly nutty and could be wrong 😉 Straight fit, you’re mine.

I had my smoothie at 7:45am and when I was Gapping I noticed how hungry I was. It was noon, so no wonder. I went to Westfield Centre’s food court because it’s huge and has everything. The only thing that was calling my name was this Greek salad (I remembered to ask for no cheese this time- woopwoop!):

Crazy lighting in thurr.

The salad was a mix of greens, red pepper, kalamata olives (five, judging by the pits I left behind), tomatoes, cucumber, onion and pita croutons. I didn’t eat the pita bread because it was dry and hard, not warm and fluffy the way I like. For those of you with dirty minds, do with that last sentence whatever you’d like.

It took me a good 30 mintues to eat that and afterward I was freezing for some reason. Like any addict, I went for another coffee. This time it was officially a cafe au lait (soy, obviously).

Then I did some major trying on of clothes at Mango. Whoah, some fitting rooms have the worst lighting. “Since when has that been there? Whaaa?” I didn’t purchase anything there.

I did a lot more roaming and walking throughout the rest of the afternoon, eventually buying a tank and a tee at Urban Outfitters. I bought them because they were on sale. No other reason. I did try on some shorts I loved, but they were $58. Who spends $58 on distressed denim shorts? Not this chiquita. I’m hoping Matty Rich (my 18-year-old brother, for those of you who are new readers) has some jeans he won’t mind donating to me so I can hack ’em up.

I went back to Borders to get a movie to watch tonight because I have nothing! After all this, I was completely wiped. I went to the Muni station and snacked on a Chocolate Brownie Z-Bar at 3:45 as I waited. Those things are amazing.

I made it home by 5pm, checked my email and promptly passed out. Fifty minutes later, face dabbled with drool, I awoke very hungry. Dinner time, fa sho:

Killer spread.

This is normal SnackFace eating, which most of you haven’t seen. I love snack plates, but they’ve disappeared since having started at VegNews. Normally, my lunches look a bit like this when I’m at school.

Anyway, if the above plates aren’t blog-inspired, I don’t know what is. I had Kathed kale chips (just sprayed a pan with nonstick, spread kale on, popped it in the oven at 400* till they were crispy), the gorgeous GC’s veg, all eaten with K’s beloved salsa. We know where the cheese is from (which was great this time around), and the balls? I think most people who try them enjoy them.

I ate this while watching one of my all-time favorite movies, French Kiss. This is another comfort of home, as it’s really one of MamaJ’s favorites. Please rent this! It stars Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline, both of whom are outstanding actors. Ryan’s physical comedy is out of this world, and Kline is simply a genius. And it takes place in France. I mean, come on. Perfection.

At some point I had a couple squares of dark chocolate and this scrumptiously ripe nectarine:

Nectarine and a message.

And now it’s 10pm and I’m hungry again. No surprise there!

I apologize for the downtrodden mood! I just know I’m so close to seeing my family, but I have to make it through a couple more days, and that’s throwing me off. I also have no idea what to do with myself the next two days. I’ll figure something out, I hope.

Well puddings, this tum’s rumbling and I have another movie to watch. Have wonderful starts to your weeks!

Ciao for now,

Kailey

QUESTION: Have you ever been homesick? When? How did you cope?I’m not sure if it’s homesickness or loneliness.Probably the latter. Either way, I need outta my funk!

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oh my little homesick, half-burnt to a crisp kailey bean! wednesday will come soon enough and you can see your momma and your doggies and friends and buy gap jeans.. which, by the way, if they are cheaper in ohio that is some shiiii right there. oh, by the way, i promise you wont be the creepy ex intern. i have a hunch the new interns are going to want to hear all about veg and they will worship the couch you sleep on. you are like the cool older kid in high school that they will want approval from! i laughed at: “Since when has that been there? Whaaa?” I didn’t purchase anything there. yep. um what else? oh, who doesnt? love balls? glad you had some cinci-channeling tonight~happy monday to you my dear! mwah.

Shopping is so the best cardio!! Whenever I’m homesick I call up the fam and we do a nice long skype session. It really does put any homesickness at bay. As for B&N magazine reading, I think you just touched on one of my favorite past times. I know the employees hate it when people collect 9 magz and go in a corner and read ’em but hey, this on a budget chica ain’t got the dollas to spend and needs her glossy pages galore fix. On a more food related note, I really need to get on the kale chip tugboat (yes, i said tugboat…train is just too generic). They sound so yummy!! And just think, Wednesday is 2 days away..SO CLOSE..and, most likely, once you are reunited with the fam, you are guna be missing sanfran so enjoy it while you are there for the next couple of days!

I’m so sorry to hear about the homesickness! I had a tough time in Belgium towards the end. Somehow, it seems to me that I got more homesick in anticipation of seeing them towards the end of my stay, even though I knew logically that the time was approaching quickly. I guess that’s how the cookie (or kale chip!) crumbles. I know it’s hard even though you know you’ll be seeing them soon, but hang in there! And wear sunscreen while you’re at it!

That’s awesome that you were interning in California. I just check out your about me section and saw that you’re a magazine journalism major. I’m a journalism major too but I wish they had a concentration on magazine writing at my school. I love magazines as well and want to write for a health mag. I used to collect magazines but then I moved in with my boyfriend and that ended that! ha

I also think it’s amazing that you can just ‘trot’ to the beach. I have to drive for hours to get to the ocean! Enjoy the rest of your time in Cali! I love it there. Don’t worry, your burn will turn to tan!

being homesick is the worst, especially when you’ve got zero distractions to get your mind outta that noise. you should go into full-blown tourist mode and go to alcatraz [if you haven’t been]!! i went there over xmas and it was ridiculously eerie and fascinating, and it’ll take up close to a full day so you won’t be thinking about home.

Shawty!!! I am currently eating a packet of kashi oatmeal in my dorm room before my first day of classes!!!!! I feel like if you were by my side, you would be mentally pumping me up for academics and then telling me the real fun is afterwards with a drank and a two-step. So I am thinking that in hopes all goes well. Yiippeeeee!

I am sad to hear you are lonely in SanFran 😦 But you must be sooo excited to go home to see the fam and MUFFIN! And get back into a schedule and finish your last year of college (!?!?!?!) CRAZY! Next summa shawty, next summa.

WOOOO well I am off to le classe de francais maintainent! I am so nervous haha! I shall be talking with you soon and will FINALLY getting back into my usual blogging habits tonight! LoVes YoU

I can’t lay out either – I feel like there’s other things I could be doing and get super antsy! Glad you liked the PopChips, mama! Last night I ate some balls and thought of you. Aren’t you glad that’s your claim to fame in my life 😉

Aw, boo! Your burn is so sad!! I hope it feels better! You and creepy is an oxymoron! I’m about to get my shopping cardio on as well – best kind there is. Do you think we could organize a shopping 5k!? I’d be all over that!

Whenever I feel homesick, I totally bury myself in work – sad I know but if I keep myself busy then I “forget” that I’m homesick. Good news is that the Midwest is going to be warming up just in time for you to get home 🙂

I’ve been homesick lots of times. I haven’t lived near my family in almost 10 years. The time I remember most was in college. My family was supposed to come for a visit and I was really excited in the week leading up to their arrival. I woke up that morning to a phone call from my parents. It was snowing really bad and they didn’t think it would be safe to make the 6 hour drive. I was really sad. My best way of dealing with it is to do something fun. Whether that means going out with friends or doing something on my own. Having fun usually takes my mind off of what I’m missing.

oh love, what a fabulous day – i only wish i could have been there with ya. coffee/bucks/shopping/food extravaganza is a perfect cure to kill the time. no worries on the homesickness – you will be back in MamaJ’s arms before you know it.

hang in there, enjoy all your favorite places in san fran for the last time and ENJOY doing nothing. lotsa love!

ohhh…i feel you on the homesickness hun. my job has me moving around all the time and never being able to see my family much…i make sure we send lots of pictures and talk on the phone a lot. 🙂 otherwise i bring lots of pictures with me in frames!

and yes babe, anywhere you are in CA you MUST wear sunscreen…i still get burnt every single time i go out in CA…and now in TX? it’s even WORSE! hahaha!

Omg. . . You and your brother were soooo pale as kids. The sunshine without sunscreen was not an option. That however should never ever change. No matter how old you are you must wear it on every exposed body part. Your 15 minutes of unexposed sun to help your body take in Vitamin D went into overtime. See you soon OXOXOXOX

I know how you feel about getting homesick, happens to the best of us! I’m almost 3 hours away from most of my family, and while I love living in NYC and don’t miss home itself so much, I reeeally miss the fam (especially mi madre…she and I are BFFE’s.) So I try to cope just like you with some retail therapy, since that’s how her & I spend a lot of our Q.T. together anyway. Cheer up, only a couple more days to go!!

Ohhhh lady! Homesickness is the worst! Living abroad I can get it pretty bad sometimes but weirdly it’s so much worse in the circumstances you’re in right now. I can go months and months and be just fine but when I know I’m going to see them super soon I get SO ANTSY for the time to just come. Ugh. Feel your pain – soon, my sweet!

Still. Reading mags and supping coffee at the bookstore is a favorite activity of mine and looks like a killer way to spend a morning before retailing it up. Well done there.

Love the snack plate! Haven’t seen much of it on here but I eat like that a lot in winter espesh when I’m being indecisive! Yummzzzz.

Homesick? OHhhh yes. I remember when I went to Germany after high school I had major case of the homesickness. I called my mom everyday and talked to her online and sent e-mails. But I realized that by doing this, I wasn’t make it easier for myself. I needed to let go and actually integrate myself in the life over there. I think that’s the best way to go. Also writing about it in a journal can help too. And you’ve always got your family, friends to support you and always love you 🙂 So knowing that is really comforting. Take care!

um hello my name is Jenny and homesickness is my middle name. Honestly, I totes a homebody.. i can’t stay away from the folks! wish i had some advice on how to cope — but that’s something i’m working on myself. so basically, this comment is just here to assure you that you are not alone honey pie!

so sorry about the sun muchaha — at least you look killah in red 😉 love to you princess!

Oh man, Mama! You are burnnnnnnnnnnnnnned. Aloe that ish!!! I’m so sorry!! Sunburns are no fun at all!!!

Dudeeeeeeeee…that dinner snack plate action is so fab. Like I am so impressed. Like I am like so “WORD, maddddddd props to Kailey.” Like I am so “Admiration Status” right now, ya dig?

Ughhh the last few days before BIG events/happenings are always so hard. My bro and my grandparents are flying in on Wed and I haven’t seen them in over 6 months!! It’s going to be so weird (and amazing obviously) to have everyone home….but it’s still making me a lil anxious and what not, ya know?

Oh no sunburn! Aloe that baby up A-stat! I just saw the new Shape in the store and also wondered what Lauren is doing on the cover? She’s done with the hills. And I’m pretty sure she’s been on the cover in the past…
I still need to try those Kale chip. They sound so good! And must be since they’re so often shown on blogs!
Oh yes I have definitely been homesick! As much as I’ve like college, I’ve gone through very lonely stages and just missed home so much. Especially my sophomore year when my roommate would be off with other people ALL the time. I would sit alone and just feel…well…alone! Most often I just miss my little sister 🙂
Pull through darlin!

Seriously, I couldn’t help but burst into tears every time I spoke to my dad or little sister on phone during my first semester at college. It was a little embarrassing, and they were super worried about me. But homesickness happens… and I’m pretty sure it’s healthy, no? If you don’t have a home to miss, there is something seriously messed up!

DEF have been homesick before – I studied abroad in Australia my junior year of college and missed home like crazy!! I just tried to fill my days with fun activities, going to markets and doing touristey things. I had to keep reminding myself that I would be dying to go back once I got home – which I was!!